Four-star running back Dylan Edwards decommits from Notre Dame
On Tuesday evening, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and running backs coach Deland McCullough had a home visit with Derby (Kan.) High class of 2023 running back Dylan Edwards, an Irish commit.
Edwards, who flipped his pledge from Kansas State to Notre Dame in August, seemed solid in his pledge to the Irish. “Seemed” is the key word in that sentence, though. There were no signs of a decommitment that were made evident to Blue & Gold, but the four-star playmaker announced that he was backing off his pledge on Thursday, Dec. 8.
“First off I want to thank God for leading me towards the right direction and giving me the knowledge and understanding to make decisions for myself,” Edwards wrote in a statement published to social media. “I am grateful for the Notre Dame coaching staff for recruiting me and giving me the opportunity to play at such a prestigious university. I want to give a huge thanks to Coach Deland for believing in my talents and being a good mentor to me through this process. I have nothing but respect for Notre Dame and I wish them the best. But I will be DE-COMMITTING and signing elsewhere December 21st.”
On Tuesday before the Irish staff came to his home, Edwards picked up an offer from Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. One would assume that the program now ran by “Coach Prime” is the team to beat moving forward.
Notre Dame has 26 commitments in the 2023 class, a group that ranks No. 3 according to the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.
The Fighting Irish have two running back commitments in the 2023 class in St. Louis Christian Brothers’ Jeremiyah Love and Lake Stevens (Wash.) High’s Jayden Limar. Both prospects rank as four-star players.
Edwards ranks as the nation’s No. 170 overall player and No. 9 running back according to the 2023 On3 Consensus.
Edwards earned 2021 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors for his performance as a junior. He was also named to the Sports in Kansas 2021 6A All-State first-team offense.
“Dylan Edwards is the best player I’ve seen in person at the high school level,” said Hutchinson High School head coach Mike Vernon, an opponent of Derby. “He’s very dangerous. I can’t wait for him to graduate.”
Edwards is committed to the playing in the 2023 Under Armour All-American Game.
He won the Fastest Man challenge at the Under Armour Future 50 camp over the summer and reportedly ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the event.
According to UC Report, Edwards has the third-fastest time among high school football players from last season, clocking at 22.03 miles per hour.
